#
# Identification:
#
#   * Title: "First page"
#   * Page: f1r = AA (Rene) = p001 (Stolfi)
#   * Folio: f1
#   * Panels: f1r
#   * Bifolio: bA1 = f1+f8
#   * Quire: A (Rene) = I (Beinecke)
#
#   Page 1 of the British Library photocopies.
#   Levitov figure 17, page 93.
#
# Attributes:
#
#   * Language: A (Currier)
#   * Hand: 1 (Currier)
#   * Subsets: T (Rene), unk (Stolfi)
#   * Subject: unknown (text only).
#   * Colors: red(weirdos) (Reeds), red(weirdos,extraneous_letters) (Rene)
#
# Description:
#
#   The page contains four paragraphs (units µ{P1},µ{P2},µ{P3},µ{P4})
#   with 4.6, 2.4, 9.5, 5.5 lines, respectively, each followed by a
#   short right-justified title (units µ{T1},µ{T2},µ{T3},µ{T4}).
#
#   Paragraphs 2 and 3 begin with big "weirdo" doodles, very unlike
#   normal Voynichese letters. The first (EVA &252) looks like a
#   capital K lying on it side, with the vertical bar at the bottom.
#   The second (EVA &253) looks like the first, with an extra
#   squiggly line rising from between the two "horns". The two symbols
#   are drawn or painted with flaring strokes ending in swallowtail
#   serifs.
#
#   There is an inch-wide stain along the right margin, running from
#   the top to the bottom.  About the upper right corner, Rene
#   reports [4 Apr 1999]: "The '2' with underscore near the top right
#   is written in the same ink as the two doodles ... at the start of
#   para's 2 and 3. Next to that is what looks like a '9' but which
#   really is the letter 'a' with a 'b' beneath it. These are not part
#   of the erased alphabet lists below it. They are in lighter red.
#   ... It's not the same red as the '2' left of the 'a' [or] the two
#   doodles".
#
#   Within the right marging area there seem to be three columns of
#   letters ("key like sequences", unit µ{L}) which are barely visible
#   in the reproductions. Jim Reeds writes [15 Jul 1994]: "The
#   leftmost [column] is the ordinary alphabet, lower case italic
#   hand, a through z. I could not check for the presence of every
#   letter (I'm not sure about j, for instance) but a, b, c, ... o, p,
#   q, r, s, ... y, z are pretty clear. Next to those are very spotty
#   frags of Voynich letters. I could make out EVA <d> next to a, <r>
#   next to c, <g> next to y, and one of the gallows letters somewhere
#   near the q, r, s range. [...] The 3d column seems to be 1 off from
#   the first: italic miniscules, r next to s, and so on. More is
#   visible in UV shots than Petersen shows."
#
#   Michael Roe [4] says that I and J are both present, as well as V
#   and W.
#
#   Rene adds [04 Apr 1994]: "Next to 'a' is EVA <d>. Next to 'c' is
#   <r>. <y> is below 'h'. Of the roman alphabet, one can see a-f,
#   h, o-r, u-v and z (more like zeta). Of the shifted alphabet two
#   columns to the right I could only see 'p' and 'q' (aligned with
#   'o' and 'p' respectively)."
#
#   There seems to be faint unreadable text at the top of the page,
#   apparently in cursive handwriting.
#
#   There are some faint scribbles in the bottom margin. More details
#   are visible in the photographic copies made by Voynich. 
#   UV photos show it to be "Jacobj a Tepenece" [3]. Rene
#   reports [4 Apr 1999]: "Below the Tepenec signature are a 'W' (left
#   margin) and what looks like two 7's below 'en' (of 'Tepenece').
#   These do not show up on the [UV-]illuminated images."
#
# Comments:
#
#   The page layout suggests four quotes with attributions, or signed
#   endorsements. Denis Mardle [10 Feb 97] suggested they may describe
#   the four parts of the book. Rayman Malekei [20 Nov 1997] thinks
#   that the paragraphs were added at different times.
#
#   The faint scribbling at the top may be a stain.
#
#   The signature in the bottom margin was identified by Voynich as
#   that of Jacobus de Tepenecz, as reported by Mary D'Imperio.
#   Gabriel [18 Sep 1997] suggests that the signature may have been
#   written with invisible ink. He says thatsome bits of the signature
#   are visible in contrast-enhanced scans of that page (if one is
#   told where to look).
#
#   Brumbaugh reportedly claims that there was a date in the upper
#   right corner of f1r before it was obliterated by the application
#   of chemicals (intended to reveal faded writing).
#
#   Rene adds [04 Apr 1999], about the red 'a' and 'b' above the two
#   columns: "I wonder if these are from the original writer."
#
#   The EVA <r> claimed to be next to "c" in the right margin is
#   rather misshapen. Also the synchronization of the three columns
#   seems rather imperfect.
#
#   D'Imperio says that the "weirdo" characters EVA &252/&253 are in
#   bright red ink; confirmed by Glen Claston [20 Feb 1998] and Jim
#   Reeds [03 Mar 1998].
#
#   Rene [28 Jul 1997] found a medieval astrological diagram [1], in
#   Greek, where the weirdo EVA &252 is used as a symbol for Aries,
#   which is "kruos" or "kryos" in Greek. He conjectures that EVA &253
#   may be a variation of the same. But he cautions that the author
#   may have just borrowed the symbol for its looks.
#
#   The top weirdo &252 has a peculiar beak at the left side of the
#   base. Could there be some text under the red paint?
#
#   Rene [1 Feb 1999] thinks that &253 resembles the old Greek Virgo
#   symbol drawn on its side, but he is not sure.
#
#   Stolfi suggested [07 Aug 1998] that the symbols may be
#   abbreviations for "Koenig" and "KoenigiN" --- i.e. "K" and
#   "K"-with-squiggle. (How desperate can you get?)
#
# References:
#
#   [1] Codex Taurinensis C VII 15 (author anonymous, no date avaliable).
#   http://www.ficom.net/members/ditch/secret.htm
#
#   [2] John Grove 
#   http://members.tripod.com/~VoynichMs/Prefix.htm
#
#   [3] Catalog entry for MS 408.
#   Beinecke Library, Yale.
#
#   [4] Michel Roe's Voynich site, page about dating the manuscript.
#   http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/users/mrr/voynich/date.html
#
# Last edited on 1999-04-22 22:39:36 by stolfi